How Does the Soil Under My Home Affect the Foundation?

Foundation settlement occurs when the soil under a home or structure can no longer support its weight. It is important to understand how Florida soil can cause issues with your foundation. 

What kinds of soil are prevalent in Florida?

Sand, silt, and peat (moss) soils are common in Florida. These soils are layered to create the Florida state soil called Myakka. Under these soil layers, there are often large voids where there is no soil or support until much further down. This is what causes sinkholes.

Is there a kind of soil that is more likely to cause foundation settlement?

The short response to this is all soils are inclined to fail if they are exposed to certain conditions. Be that as it may, in central Florida, peat and silt are common and tend to swell and heave when water pours in and dries up around a foundation. Common Florida soils are all highly permeable, which means they quickly collect water, become heavy, and compress or sink. Since these soils are not stable or strong, it can be difficult for them to support the weight of a home or structure.

How does soil affect water assimilation around a home?

Any sort of soil will swell to some degree, aside from sand. This means no home is immune to foundation settlement issues. One of the essential factors of protecting a home’s foundation is an effective drainage system. If the settlement has already progressed to a point where you are noticing walls cracks or sticking doors and windows, we can help with that too! We can use push piers or helical piers to transfer the weight of the home onto a deeper, more stable soil layer or bedrock that will not expand and contract like the upper soil layers.

What does this mean for homeowners? 

If you begin to see any indications of water building up around your home or water on your floor, contact Florida Foundation Authority. If you have noticed cracking or leakage, we can help! These types of issues don’t fix themselves and will only get worse over time.